The Aviation Thread

[KatieP]

Woo-hoo sister!!! I don't know your brother but I like him. I have no idea what the expense is today. I do know that many things in the US have changed since I last flew. I wonder what the philosophy/policy the FAA has with trans pilots? It gather things are easier in Canada for student pilots. Good to know.

Based on the number of active pilots in this thread, and my own experience, the FAA does not see being Trans as disqualifying per se. The issues are the specific medications and one's physical fitness to fly.

And, interestingly, if one uses "Basic Med" for their medical certification, the only time the FAA will know about your "Trans" condition is when you go in to change the gender marker on your license. And, you do have to physically "go in" to a FSDO, which for many may be a pain in the petushka. But again in my experience, the FAA folks won't batt an eyelash about it. In my case, they were quite pleasant, and the (female) admin even congratulated me.

Kate

[Jaime320]

Hello ladies. Just finished reading the thread. Can I join in? I had my shirt tail cut today after 6 years of on and off training. I only have around 30 hours of logged training. C172, Ch750, challenger 2, & Remos.  I own the Ch2, and soloed the Remos today.

[Jaime320]

Sorry can't resist talking about this morning. Yeah I know I'm new and nothing as epic as some of the hangar talk I've read in this thread. There I was inverted in a -4G dive with a mig.


Alas the day started like almost any other winter training day in Chicagoland. Though snow was threatening, visibility 3, the ceiling was 2700 wind 320@7 altimeter 30.32 -6 temp dp -2 information W runway 33 in use. Called it in to ground. Cleared to Taxi way across to 33. Busy with 2 other students in pattern. Had to hold short and wait my turn. Cleared for 33 with option. Strike the coals light the fires let's get ready to go go go. Made it back around and greased it in. Went back up and had almost a greaser with light bump. The ok off and CafI had me call in full stop taxi back. Said yeah you'll do this for solo have we done your solo test yet. Nope, but we've done the full stop taxi backs on last lesson. Went round the pattern, came back and had another good landing. CFI messes with his phone checking schedule, and I asked if good to go. He looked over and said yeah. I'm just along for the ride. We took off and mid climb out he said call full stop taxi back to parking. yeah I'm going to solo you today. I said umm ok. Kinda wish you hadn't told me that. Until we landed. He said nah you'll be fine. just keep doing what you're doing. Went around and had an ok landing. started to go short but recovered with chemical energy. Flared and made first turnout with no problem. Went back to parking, shut down took a quick test, and endorsements made. had to make a head call. Just in case. Well no more fumbling off i go. Called into ground. Added student first solo per CFI. Aka be gentle. Went on out. Pattern quiet all other students gone. Cleared for TO  on 33. Sent prayer here we go. Good grief my little rocket ship took off. Backed off the trim. She's was nimble with two. Now she's a stol without trying. Made pattern before end of runway. Quickly learned 300 less rpm than when two up to maintain level flight. Left pattern close traffic. Rocketed downwind. Carb heat at numbers cut power. Flared a bit to 75. Added full flaps nosed over to maintain 75. Turned base and final. Came right on down 5' off deck start flare ummm is she coming down. She just sat there 5' off deck happy as can be flared a bit more barely felt the wheels touch. Tapped the brakes and made first turnout. Taxied back said a quick thank you, and rolled shoulders to loosen up. Called ready to go. Cleared and off I went. Carried slightly more energy turning base closer.  thinking ok I'll flare more. Started to porpoise eased in throttle and recovered. Woohoo I got this. One more time we go. Taxied back uneventful TO. Cleared to land, but called full stop to parking. Landed centerline again but bounced gently once. Eased it in again. Cleared for taxi via 27 to parking and stay with tower. Woohoooooooo. Off to parking to shutdown. CFI was there to meet and the next student did photography. Great day by far.

In hindsight I Kinda Wish it was as me. Though for first time in training, I did wear my favorite red undies. Guess these are my new good luck pair. Oh and for the geek in me. Totally unplanned but I did have on a red return of the Jedi millennium falcon shirt.

[KathyLauren]

Congratulations, Jaime!  Thanks for letting us re-live your experience.

When I soloed, the traditional initiation (at least in summer) was a dunk in a tub of cold water.  If you knew you were going to solo, you'd make sure you had a dry flying suit in your locker to change into.

[Jaime320]

I'm glad they only do the dunk during summer here. Otherwise you'd also be joining the polar bear club.

[Denice]

I never been at the controls of an airplane. I did jump out of a lot of them with the 82nd.

There were people from around Ft. Benning who went through Basic Training and Jump School at Benning. What wound up happening is the very first time they flew in an airplane they didn't land with it.

[Jaime320]

Stand right up, and shuffle to the door. Jump right out and....

Whoops. Never used a chute. lots of various rope egress, and spy rigging out.

[Donica]

Sorry for waiting so long to report about this. A couple of Sundays ago my friend "A" and I were invited to the Santa Paula airport (just 12 miles south of CMA) for an open house event and visit with a trans female pilot "D" and her SO "K" we've known for awhile. I did my check ride at this airport years ago. We spent the day in their hangar watching the folks walk by and answered questions when they stop by to checkout the J3 Cub that "D" built (full size experimental J3 Cub) and the rest of the toys they have in their hangar. I so wanted to jump in the Cub and take her up for a spin around the old neighdorhood.


We had a wonderful time and the hangar talk brought back so many good memories. It turns out that "D" has the same health issues that I do. So I'm thinking if the FAA is ok with her then maybe they'll be ok with me getting my medical back. The cost has skyrocketed since I last flew. Back in my day, at CMA, a Piper Archer went for $20 and hour wet and the instructors were only $20 an hour. Now days, Santa Paula charges $99 an hour for a 172 wet and $75 an hour for instructors. And I won't even talk about the rates at my home base CMA.

"D" and "K" took us for a ride in their golf cart to visit with the rest of the airport and hangars. Most of the aircraft there are home built. RV4's and RV6's, a couple Lancair's, J3 Cubs etc... and a lot of vintage 150's, Navion's, 210's and 310's (my favorite) etc....

We got a treat and bumped into this beautiful home built beast named Mr. D by the Owner "Dv". It is a well built, all wood, beautiful Mr. Mulligan, built from scratch, with the exception of a couple of parts like the tail wheel assembly and wind struts. The power plant is a R1340 and has a top speed of 260 knots and cruses at 230 knots. WOW COOL!!! The owner "Dv" did a full speed 260 knot flyby right over our heads.

I was in heaven. It brought back memories of standing out at one of the pylons at Reno during the unlimited races. WOW! What a beautiful beast.
 

Sorry for my big fat thumb getting into the picture. I miss my old stomping grounds. We were welcomed back anytime. Needless to say, my friend "A" and I will be going back soon.

[LauraE]

Thanks Kathy for starting this thread and referring me here.

I began taking flying lessons at 16 and earned my license when I was 17, all at Buchanan Field in Concord, CA. I flew through college, both in Concord and in Vacaville where I took up taildraggers. I also became fascinated with sailplanes, spending many Saturdays at Fremont's sail port. It all came to a stop when I was 22 and a professor asked me if when I was flying, I was going towards or away from my goals. I pondered that for awhile, and realized that I needed to focus better on my career. While it was a good move, I didn't return to flying until I retired four years ago. It felt wonderful to return, although so much had changed in the prior 40 years, both to electronic flight bags and flight planning, and to the airspace.  I'm now the happy co-owner of a C150 at my home airport. She's not fast, but I get to fly often, which is just as good.



Laura

[Jennifer300]

 I had few funds after high school as my job paid little, but I had the bug.  I took flight lessons but never did solo.  I had about 12 hours, then realized my current job was going nowhere, and the U.S.A.F. looked like it had everything I wanted.  I joined the Air Force and went into working on Avionics.  Over the years I decided to try again, I took a class for my private pilots license and passed the written.  Then did some soul searching and realized I would never professionally fly, so if I pay for my time in the plane to finish the license it would only be for recreation.  I decided to stop at that point.  Much like my first time taking my HRT, the first time taking the plane off and landing without any instructor assistance was something I will remember forever.  Sometimes I wish I had finished it, but I am thankful for the time I did have flying.  I enjoyed reading about the rest of your experiences, sounds like very fulfilling experiences. 

[steph2.0]

Then did some soul searching and realized I would never professionally fly, so if I pay for my time in the plane to finish the license it would only be for recreation.

Ah, but for me, recreation is the point! Sure, no one else is picking up the tab, but you can go where you want, when you want, and have the option of saying "not today" if the weather is icky or you're just not feeling it. I've turned a hobby into a job before, and that has the potential to drain all the joy out of it. I still love flying after 35 years, most of it in little planes that many consider deathtraps. Ultralights are as safe as the lady who maintains and flies them, and over 3500 safe hours in them proves the point to my satisfaction. While I've moved into Light Sport, if someone offered to let me fly their Hawk or Quicksilver, I'd be in the seat in a flash, with a big grin on my mugly ug.

It's never too late to give it another try, Jennifer. Things have changed a bit since you soloed. Some LSAs fly just like Cessna 150s, and the license is easier and cheaper to get than a private, if you don't mind day VFR only.

In any case, welcome!

Stephanie

[Jaime320]

@steph2.0

Any challenger time?

[steph2.0]

@steph2.0

Any challenger time?

Hi Jaime,

I'll be diplomatic, since I don't like to insult anyone who's a fan of Challengers. I have flown quite a few of them, and couldn't coordinate turns to save my life, at least with two-seaters with doors on them. I've always considered the vertical tail to be too small compared with the area forward of the center of lift, and coupled with the way the rudder pedals pivot under the arch of your foot, I'd skid all over the sky. Many folks like them a lot, but it seems you have to develop some unusual reflexes to keep the ball in the center. I've been accused of having lazy feet, but I've predominantly flown taildraggers for 35 years, so I doubt that's it.

For two-seat tandem pushers, I'll take a CGS Hawk over a Challenger any day. On the other hand, the single-seat Challengers are a hoot to fly!


Stephanie

[Jaime320]

Hi Jaime,

I'll be diplomatic, since I don't like to insult anyone who's a fan of Challengers. I have flown quite a few of them, and couldn't coordinate turns to save my life, at least with two-seaters with doors on them. I've always considered the vertical tail to be too small compared with the area forward of the center of lift, and coupled with the way the rudder pedals pivot under the arch of your foot, I'd skid all over the sky. Many folks like them a lot, but it seems you have to develop some unusual reflexes to keep the ball in the center. I've been accused of having lazy feet, but I've predominantly flown taildraggers for 35 years, so I doubt that's it.

For two-seat tandem pushers, I'll take a CGS Hawk over a Challenger any day. On the other hand, the single-seat Challengers are a hoot to fly!


Stephanie

I can see that. Tail has been resized to counteract these forces. plus with doors on, training wheels are recommended.

[steph2.0]

I can see that. Tail has been resized to counteract these forces. plus with doors on, training wheels are recommended.

Do the experimental kit versions have the larger tail now? I thought it was interesting that after 20-some years of denying that the tail was too small, when they went to the ASTM consensus standards for the SLSA model, they increased the size of the tail.

"Training wheels!" [emoji23] Do you mean the additional vertical fins on the ends of the horizontal stabilizers?


Stephanie

[Jaime320]

Yup those cards. Oh and they even allow a retrofit for tail now.

[KathyLauren]

I've been accused of having lazy feet,

LOL, that would be me with the lazy feet.  The pedals in the Tutor made great footrests.  Aside from entering and recovering from spins, and crosswind landings, we never used them!

I did have one student who noticed adverse yaw in an ILS approach in smooth air (the aircraft took a couple of seconds to respond to a 2 degree turn made with 5 degrees of bank), so I told him to use the rudders, but that happened only once.

[Donica]

I swore I was going to put a piece of tape over the ball so my instructor wouldn't bitch at me every time I slipped around the skies. She told me she wouldn't sign my log book if I didn't get it right.

After all, it's a great way to stop the turn rate from blowing past your intended heading. It's also very helpful at stopping a steep bank turn from becoming a screaming death dive lol.

[steph2.0]

Since many of my planes were pushers, instead of a ball I'd have a yaw string on the windshield. It worked opposite the ball - instead of stepping on the ball, you'd use the opposite foot from the way the string was blowing. I'd tell those not used to it that the bottom of the string, where it's attached to the windshield, points to the foot you push on.

I let a friend, who flew Mooneys and Luscombes, fly my Hawk once. He was impressed with the simplicity of the yaw string. He said he was thinking about putting one on his Luscombe. I reminded him that the spinny thing on the front would keep it from working right.

He paused to think about it. Then I saw the light bulb go on over his head. "I know," he said, "I'll just put it on the inside!!"

[Kirsteneklund7]

 As a side note to this most interesting thread- I love bug smashers, light singles, ultra lights, I have a Moyes Mission 170 downstairs at home. If it weighs less than 12500 lbs I'm into it.
I maintain a fleet of B200 & B400 aircraft for a living. Here is on of my babies- finishing a heavy D-check. Next to it is the evil opposition company with a brand new Pilatus PC- 24.

Kirsten.